Improvement in rakes for reaping-machines



NITE rarns Tnos. N. LUProN, or WINonnsTnn, VIRGINIA.

Specification forming part 'of Letters Patent No. 13,596, dated September 25, 1855.

To all whom it may concernf Be it known that I, THOMAS N. LUPToN, of `Winchester, in the county ofFrederick and State of Virginia, have invented and made certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Rakes for Harvesting and Reaping Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specilication, in which- Figure l shows a platform or framing, a a aaacaaabbbbbbccc,to which are attached the automatic devices, composed of a vertical crank, e e, with tubular collar ff, spurwheels and drivers, and bevel-gearing g 7L j k a nX p, a revolving sleeve, L, and revolving piston-rod m, the slide-socket q q and reciprocating arm r r, the pitman or crank connecting rod s s, and the horizontal rake w ze; Fig. 2, slotted sliding arm r i.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct my rake, I herewith describe the same as follows A crank, e e, is formed of desired diameter and length and arranged to and supported vertically by crosspieces bf bit d d d* dx. The upper part of this vertical crank works through a collar, ff. The upper part of this collarff is attached to a gear-wheel, h, working above the cross-piece dc d". At the up per extremity of the crank-shaft is a small spur-wheel, g, working in a driving-gear, k, having its axle-shaftextending through the cross-piece d d downward to the lower crosspiece, d dx and at the lower end of this axle or shaft isattached a small gear, j, workingin another ofthe same diameter, as seen at h. Underneath the crosspiece d* d", and attached thereto, is a small inverted bevel-wheel, fi. The collarfj'is attached permanently to a base-plate or bevel-washer, c, corresponding to the bevel of the fixed gear t'. This collar and base work around the crank-shaft, and are attached permanently to a horizontally-working slide-socket, q q, of suitable size and length. This slide-socket is formed of a strip of thin plate or sheet metal, with turned or flanged edges, thus forming a groove or slide-place, within which is fitted a reciprocating or sliding arm, ri, having an oblong opening or slot, r", Fig. 2, formed in it, sufficiently7 wide to admit the crank-shaft or spindle to pass through it, as well as long enough to afford the desired play backward and forward. To the slidesocket q q, at its forward end, is attached a little collar-standard, o o, which holds or sup-v ports a sleeve or tubular socket, L, having a small slot, X, formed longitudinally, and large enough for a small pin or screw, di, to Work or slide in. To the back end ofthis sleeve-socket is attached a small bevel-gear wheel, n", with a pivot or small journal end working in the collarjf. Within this slotted revolving sleeve or tubular socket L works a revolving pistonrod, m, having on its out-ward end a small bevel-gear, a. rlhis revolving piston-rod m is supported by a collar-standard, y, attached to the reciprocating arm r i, to the under side of which arm is attached a crank-rod or pitman, 8 s. This pitman is attached to the arm by a screw or a rivet-joint, z. At the end of the reciprocating arm i r, and working pendently therefrom, is a small rod or shaft, t, passing` upward sufficiently through the arm r i* to admit of having a small bevel cog-wheel, P, attached to its end, and ot' the same size asthe bevel-gear n. To the lower extremity of this pendent rod or sha-ft tis attached permanently a horizontal rake, w w, the whole of the within-described devices being shown complete in Fig. l and forming my improved automatic rake, which can be most readily attached to or connected with the framing or platform of an ordinary reaping or harvesting machine without requiring any very material alteration ot' the general mechanical construction ot' the original machine.

The operation of my rake is as follows: Motion is communicated to the gear-wheel 7c by any band-and-pulley arrangementor gear-work connected with the general mechanism of the machine, and the gear-wheel 7s, working in the spur-wheel g, attached to the crank e e, gives motion to the said crank c e, while the spur J, being attached to the same common axle ofthe gear-wheel k, works in the other spur-wheel, l1, attached to the collarff, which collar extends downward and is attached to the slide-socket q q by the base-washer Iv. It will be observed that the crank revolves independently of the wheel h, which moves the slide-socket. Thus the crank rotates and the slide-socket revolvesv around the crank. This crank is connected with the slide-socket through means of the pitman or connect-ion rod s s,connected to the reciprocating arm r o by a pivot or screw-joint, z. As the crank rotates the slidesocket q gis carried around, and in this movement the revolving sleeve-socketL is also carried around, and at the same time is revolved by the bevelgear ux, Working; in the stationary or fixed bevel-gear i. The revolving,` piston-rod m, as it moves around with the sliding arm rr, also plays in and out, and as its end bevel-gear, fn, aetuates the bevel-gear l, attached to the rod t, the rake w w is caused to maintain a parallel position relative to the sides ot' the machine and the grain-platform, and While the slidesocket q q describes a trne circle the slotted sliding;` arm o o and the revolving reciprocating piston-rod m both play in and ont simultaneously, having a compound motion, and while rotating` on their axis revolve or move horizontally and describe a serpentine circuit, by which arrangement the rake w Iw is afforded the required sweep across the grain table or platform ot' the machine, and thus readily carries the cut grain oft' in bundles and deposits it on the side or receiving platform ofthe ma- The foregoing is a full and accurate description of the construction and operation of my automatic rake, and, being Well aware that cranks, pitman-rods, and gear devices have been employed as elements, in part, ot' the mechanical construction of grain-harvesting machines, I do not Wish to be understood as claimingr such devices separately; but

What I do, claim as new and original with myself, and desire to secure by Letters Patent ot' the United States, is-

The construction of an automatic rake having' a revolving' tubular or sleeve socket, L, with a revolving,` extension or reciprocating 1' iston-rod,m, a slide-socket,q q,with a sliding arn., i' i', and a geared rake device, w w, in combination with the collarff, the whole being constructed and operated substantially as described.

T. N. LUPTON. [L s] Witnesses:

JN0. S. HOLLINGsHEAD, I. F. VOLLARD. 

